MLB Information: Fernando Valenzuela’s Loss of life Spurs Recollections From Former Teammates

The demise of Fernando Valenzuela on Tuesday introduced a number of of his teammates out of the woodwork to share their recollections of taking part in with the left-handed pitcher nicknamed “El Toro.”

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Some sentiments had been brief and to the purpose, just like the Twitter/X put up from a fellow pitcher-turned-broadcaster, Rick Sutcliffe. He and Valenzuela had been on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching workers from 1980-81.

“Crying,” Sutcliffe wrote. “Sure I cherished this Man🙏❤️”

“Performed with him within the Angels group,” wrote Ruben Amaro Jr., the previous outfielder who later turned the Philadelphia Phillies’ normal supervisor. “Great man. Funniest teammate. Had an opportunity to be with him some earlier this 12 months. Similar sensible man as all the time. Can be sorely missed. RIP Fernando. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽”

Others got an extended runway to share their recollections of Valenzuela.

“You marvel how a lot one participant can reverberate by means of the ranks and nonetheless have an effect on different gamers that did not know him actual properly. … It was simply astounding how gamers had been hooked up to the radio at instances,” mentioned Steve Sax, Valenzuela’s teammate in Los Angeles from 1981-88, in an interview with MLB Community Radio on SiriusXM. “I keep in mind Ducky LeJohn (the supervisor of the Double-A San Antonio Dodgers) had a TV within the dugout that they rigged up — they really had a TV within the dugout — so we may catch something Fernando was doing. That is how fascinating Fernando was even to different gamers. He was simply unreal.”

Former Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia, speaking to AM-570 in Los Angeles, recalled the night time of June 29, 1990, when Oakland A’s pitcher Dave Stewart accomplished a no-hitter in Toronto as Valenzuela was warming as much as face the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.

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“We’re watching the final, like, 4, 5 pitches in our video room earlier than we went on the market to get unfastened,” Scioscia recalled. “Fernando is strolling by as a result of he’ll the bullpen. … He pokes his head in. Dave Stewart completed his no-hitter and Fernando says, ‘you noticed one on TV; now you are going to see one in individual.’ And he goes down there and warms up and ended up throwing a no-hitter.

“That was a particular time for all of us, significantly Fernando,” Scioscia recalled. “Lots of people do not understand in 1988 he damage his arm in Might and did not pitch for us that complete 12 months and we ended up successful the World Collection. So he was getting back from this critical arm damage, got here again, and pitched a very long time after that. That was an enormous night time for all of us to see him go on the market and be a part of a no-hitter.”

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Ron Cey, who performed third base behind Valenzuela from 1980-82, has a novel perspective on Valenzuela’s place in franchise historical past. After his profession with the Dodgers ended, he remained with the group in advertising and marketing and neighborhood relations.

Cey shared this attitude with MLB Community Radio on Sirius/XM.

“When (the Dodgers) moved west again in 1958, we’re in brand-new territory,” Cey mentioned. “So to have a Hispanic participant come to the highest and create a brand new viewers, basically, to return to Dodger Stadium was an enormous deal. And naturally we have been hit laborious right here the final 5 or 6 years with deaths within the Dodger household, going again to Lou Johnson, Tommy Davis, Don Newcombe, Vin Scully, Tom Lasorda and now Fernando … we have been hit laborious they usually all made very important contributions to our historical past.”